1972 Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spider

Unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in 1968, the 365 GTB/4 succeeded the 275 GTB/4 as Ferrari’s new top-of-the-line, two-seat gran turismo. Almost immediately, it became unofficially known as the “Daytona,” commemorating Ferrari’s celebrated podium sweep at the 1967 24 Hours of Daytona. It also represented the final front-engine, V-12 GT model developed before Fiat acquired an interest in Ferrari’s road-car operations in 1969. While retaining the general chassis layout, wheelbase, four-wheel independent suspension, and rear-mounted transaxle of its predecessor, the 365 GTB/4 departed dramatically from the 275 GTB/4 in appearance. Its bold, angular form was conceived by Pininfarina’s Leonardo Fioravanti and rendered in steel and aluminum by Carrozzeria Scaglietti. Beneath the hood was an enlarged version of Ferrari’s four-cam, dry sump V-12 engine, now displacing 4.4 liters and fed by six Weber carburetors. Producing 352 bhp at 7,500 rpm, the Daytona could accelerate from rest to 100 mph in approximately 12.8 seconds and reach a top speed in excess of 170 mph, making it the fastest production sports car of its day. Period road testers were effusive. Car and Driver declared, “It isn’t fast – it’s blinding.” Le Manswinning driver and noted journalist Paul Frère, who reportedly reached 176 mph on the Italian autostrada while testing the model for Autocar, described the Daytona as “a Grand Touring car par excellence.” At the Frankfurt International Motor Show in 1969, approximately one year after the berlinetta’s debut, Ferrari unveiled a prototype Spider version of the Daytona. Enthusiastically received, the open model soon entered limited production at Scaglietti. Working in collaboration with Pininfarina and Ferrari, the coachbuilder carefully translated the Daytona’s striking shape into an open design while providing the additional structural reinforcement required to maintain the strength and rigidity of the berlinetta. The most exclusive of the road-going Daytonas, the 365 GTS/4 was produced in extremely limited numbers. Just 121 production examples were built, the great majority destined for the all-important US market. While the 365 GTB/4 Berlinetta established its reputation on both road and racetrack, the Daytona Spider attained a distinct cultural status, aided by memorable appearances in films such as The Gumball Rally and A Star Is Born. The Daytona Spider presented here, chassis 14913, is the 38th of the 121 production examples built. Completed in early 1972 for the US market, it was appropriately equipped with Borletti airconditioning and instrumentation calibrated in miles. Most significantly, it was one of just four Daytona Spiders originally finished in Azzurro Dino (106-A-32), a vibrant, non-metallic medium blue that ranks among the rarest and most distinctive factory colors applied to the model. Imported through official distributor Luigi Chinetti Motors of Greenwich, Connecticut, chassis 14913 was reportedly sold new to Dr. Calvin Lee Stevens. A prominent organic chemist and longtime professor at Wayne State University, Dr. Stevens is best known for having first synthesized ketamine. He was also a notable Ferrari enthusiast with connections to three other US-delivered Daytona Spiders. Later in the 1970s, chassis 14913 was refinished in the more traditional Ferrari red it wears today. By 1979, it had been acquired by William P. Kiernan of Scotch Plains, New Jersey. In December of that year, the Daytona Spider was advertised in the Ferrari Market Letter by Steven Kessler Motor Cars Inc. of New York. Described as a red, US-specification example fitted with Borrani wire wheels, it was characterized as “mint and flawless.” By 1981, ownership had passed to William T. Comer, president of Comer Machinery Co. Inc. in Atlanta. That autumn, Mr. Comer consigned the Daytona Spider to FAF Motorcars in Tucker, Georgia. At the time, the car displayed approximately 36,600 miles and was offered at an asking price of $105,000. In 1982, chassis 14913 was acquired by the current owner – a prominent New York-based Ferrari collector – from an exotic car dealer on Long Island. Remarkably, the Daytona Spider entered the current ownership when it was just 10 years old and has now been preserved within the same collection for more than four decades. During this time, it has been sparingly driven and maintained alongside an exceptional group of significant Ferrari road and competition cars, yet it has never been publicly exhibited. At some point during the consignor's ownership, paint on the driver's side rear valance was singed as a result of an exhaust backfire. Today, chassis 14913 emerges from this longstanding ownership displaying just 39,544 miles – less than 3,000 miles more than it showed when last publicly offered in 1981. Beyond its older repaint in red, the Daytona Spider remains largely unrestored and presents as a compelling basis for a concours-quality restoration. In particular, a return to its exceptionally rare factory color of Azzurro Dino would distinguish 14913 from virtually every other surviving Daytona Spider. Open Ferraris combining a front-mounted 12-cylinder engine, four-wheel disc brakes, independent suspension, and a rear-mounted transaxle are exceptionally rare. The principal models possessing this desired configuration – the 275 GTS/4 NART Spider, 330 GTS and 365 GTS, and 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spider – account for little more than 250 cars in total. Among them, the Daytona Spider is unquestionably the fastest and most powerful, its dramatic Pininfarina styling recognized by enthusiasts the world over. More than half a century after its introduction, the Daytona Spider remains among the most desirable sports cars of its era. It belongs to a rare class of genuine front-engine, V-12 supercars capable of combining extraordinary performance with the incomparable appeal of open-air motoring. Fresh to market after 44 years in one of North America’s most significant private collections, chassis 14913 offers a combination seldom encountered among the 121 factory-built Daytona Spiders: fascinating early provenance, largely unrestored condition, and an exceptionally rare original color. These qualities make it an especially appealing example in its present form, as well as an ideal candidate for a concours-level restoration to its striking factory specification. car

Estimación:€2,004,187.5

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